Second Chance

Summary:"What exactly is she planning right now?"--Bella Swan, Chapter 21
banner by me :)
What if Edward never returned when he first left Bella? Bella now has a second chance at love and life, but how exactly would her life be if Edward never returned? How would her life change when Edward comes back?

17. Crash and Burn

Chapter Notes: In celebration for New Moon the movie being released today, I am updating this story :D

Hope you like it, more Cullen action on the way!!!

Date updated: 11/20/2009

Chapter 17: Crash and BurnBy: Eternitys_Charm

I drifted in and out of consciousness, for seconds at a time. Every time I awakened I felt a searing pain on my legs. My arm pulsed, too. My head. Chest. Everything seemed to have some sort of pain. All the pain knocked me out again.

The next time I awoke I felt my body being lifted in unison by two pairs of hands. “Lift on three, ready, one, two, three,” I heard voices say before I was picked up.

It was cold now, and I felt rain pour on my face and body. I must have been lifted out of my truck, but I couldn’t open my eyes.

The pain was so incredible, I wanted to scream. I held it in, though.

“Ma’am!” I felt powerful tapping on my shoulders, “are you okay?” The male voice asked. I was back to reality, and I could hear and see everything, now.

I grumbled, trying to find my voice.

“Ma’am, my name is Patrick, I am a paramedic. What is your name?” Patrick the paramedic asked.

“Isabella Swan,” my voice was hoarse.

“Do you know where you are?” He continued asking questions.

“In a bank off the side of the mountain?” It sounded more like a question.

“Do you know the time?”

“May be a little after two…” I tried to stay oriented.

“Do you know why someone might have called us here, Isabella?” He asked.

“Car crash, my car flipped down the bank.” I answered. I knew it was a routine that paramedics has to go through, but I didn’t feel like talking.

“A&O times 4,” he said to his partner as they put me and gurney up onto the ambulance.

They put a oxygen mask over my nose and mouth, the cool oxygen filled it immediately.

The paramedics continued to assess me, checking every inch of me. They asked me the ordinary questions, “does it hurt here?”, “do you feel pain anywhere else?” I was too tired to continue talking, but I knew they were not going to let me sleep in case I had a concussion.

“You have burns, Isabella,” the second paramedic, who’s name was Yamilet, told me. “We’re transporting you to the closest hospital with a burn center, by helicopter.” She said.

I knew the closest hospital with a burn center was where Connor did his studying and rounds in. I feared going there, knowing that Connor would be there.

Being pushed through the doors of the ER, I saw familiar faces, who recognized me instantly. I loathed having attention drawn to me -- but it always seems inevitable with me.

Maria, one of Connor’s friends, was one of my nurses attending to me. She acted professionally -- every now and again she would give me extra attention and sympathy.

“Bella, dear.” She said, with her sweet motherly voice. “You have a fractured left tibia, broken left humerus, lacerations on your torso, abrasions on the left side of your face, multiple hematomas.” I scoffed, I would just get that severely beat up. “That’s not it,” she said, “you were brought to this hospital for a reason. You have moderate scaled second degree burns on your legs, caused by flames that had erupted in your car after you crashed.”

“Great.” I said sarcastically.

Bandaged up and placed in a room for ‘a couple of days, or weeks,’ (as the nurse put it) I tried to scratch an irritating itch under the cast my left arm been placed in.

Maria told me Connor made rounds in the section of rooms I was in. He would come in as soon as he finished off with the patient in the room next to mine.

Moments later, Connor entered the room. Worry entered his face as he saw me laying there. I tried to smile, but I knew it would look fake, so I blushed.

“Bella, honey,” he said, setting down the clipboard on the table next to me. “I’m so sorry.” He said.

I rolled my eyes, “Connor, shouldn’t you be checking my vitals, wounds, X-rays, and what-not.” I said trying to distract him from the wave of sympathy I could feel emanating from him.

“Sorry, I just got shaken up when they told me you were here.” He said, talking and taking notes on my vitals. “I’m just glad it wasn’t anything so severe,” he said, “a second degree burn is able to heal faster than a third. It doesn’t ruin the sensory receptors in your skin --which is also the bad part, you can feel the pain. You won’t get scaring that will be too noticeable, either.”

“How long will it take to heal?” I asked, worried.

“A couple of weeks,” he said, writing notes on his clipboard.

“Weeks!?” I nearly screamed. “Just my luck.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, not seeming to really think about why I would react such a way.

I huffed, “Connor, our wedding is in a couple of weeks, I don’t want a cast, bandages, and healing flesh for my wedding!”

He thought about it for a while, “we could postpone the wedding until you recover properly?” He answered slowly after a couple of silent minutes.

I looked at him. “No, I don’t want to do that.”

“Then, what do you want to do?” He asked, now checking my X-rays and bandaging.

“I don’t know.” I said.

“Think about it and tell me tomorrow, okay.” He said. “How did this happen, anyway, Bella?” He asked and motioned his arms up and down my body.

“I was coming from Jake’s house,” I said, failing to mention the fact that a vampire was in town, “and as I was rounding a turn on the mountain, a car came right at me. We crashed, my car rammed through the railing on the highway and rolled down the bank.” His eyes were wide with shock and he was overwhelmed with fear and relief.

“Bella,” He came to my side and took my hand, “if-if something worse would have happened to you, I-I--” His eyes watered.

I tried to calm him down, “Connor, I’m alive,” I said. “I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’m still here with you.” I said taking him in my arms. “You didn’t know.”

He shook his head and kissed my lips with gentle passion, “I didn’t know,” he said in between kisses. “I’m now grateful that you’re alive!” He kissed me again.

I played with his hair with my good hand and then snapped back. “Connor, wouldn’t you get in trouble by getting this close to a patient?” I asked.

“Maybe, but you’re my finacee, they should understand.”

I pushed him back a bit, he looked hurt. “I don’t want you to get it trouble,” I told him. He nodded.

“I’ll come back later and do this again,” he winked and stole another kiss from me. “You are under my care, after all.” He said beaming.

“Only you?” I asked.

“Well, no, Dr. Cullen is the supervisor and main doctor in this region, so he’ll come by, too. You remember him, right?” He asked.

“Yes, I do.” I tried to disguise the fear in my voice.

“I won’t be here the whole time, though. I’m here every other day so I think some other student will come here, too. I’m not sure, Dr. Cullen said he would come by today.”

“Oh.” I said.

“Anyway, here are your medicines for the pain, Ms. Swan.” He placed the small cup with pills inside on my palm and smiled.

The door opened and Connor lifted himself off of my bed. “Dr. Cullen,” he said greeting the pale doctor as he entered the room. “I believe you know my fiancee, Bella. She’s a patient here, now.”

“Ah, yes.” He said not looking at me, “well aren’t you lucky to be having Connor treat you,” he said, still not looking directly at me.

“Yes I am.” I said, getting nervous by his presence.

“Anyway, Connor, your partner has arrived.” Carlisle said, “you two will inspect the burn ward, he’ll be here on the days you are not --when you’re in the ER, ” he explained.

“Okay, where is he? Who is he?” Connor asked more than excited.

Carlisle then looked at me, and the answer was there in his eyes. My heart jumped, the ECG beeped faster as my pulse elevated.

“I’m fine!” I said, embarrassed. “The pain was just a lot,” I faked wincing.

Connor nodded, “take the pain killer,” he instructed. I nodded. Carlisle looked at me, almost smiling.

“He’s my adoptive son,” Carlisle said to Connor. “His name is Edward, he’s coming in a bit. Just getting his paperwork done.”

“Great, when he’s done tell him to come here. I’ll most likely be here for another while, if you don’t mind.” Connor smiled.

“It’s fine, you’ve checked on all of your patients for today, anyway.” Carlisle said and walked out the door.

“There’s not many patients in here today, yet.” Connor said coming back to my side.

I faked a smile, but Connor saw right through it.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, checking my vitals again.

“It hurts.” I said again.

“It will subside, soon.” He promised and pecked my forehead.

Once again the door opened. Carlisle walked in, “Connor, this is Edward.” Edward walked in the room, doctor’s coat on, just like Connor and Carlisle. He smiled warmly at Connor.

I saw Connor hesitate when he saw Edward enter the door. “Hello, my name is Connor.”

“Edward.” He responded, lucidly.

Connor turned to look at me, his eyes full of suspicion. I knew he recognized Edward from the day before, in Seattle. I knew we would have a conversation about this later.

“Connor, Brianna, the patient in room 14 is asking for you.” Carlisle said, trying to break the awkward feeling in the room.

“I could just make anything up on your chart and be on my way,” he offered.

“Do as you please, I’m not even aware of your presence.” I was lying, of course. His presence unnerved me, it made my heart pulse faster -- which was obvious on the monitor. I tried to calm myself down, but he reached his hand close to my body.

“I’m sorry, this is necessary for the evaluation,” he said and lifting my right hand and assessing the lacerations that had been bandaged up. “You really hurt yourself bad.” He said looking at me.

“I crashed.” I said simply.

“Glad you’re all right, then.” He moved to my legs, “second degree burns --must be painful.”

“He recognized me,” he said, his back towards me, still looking at the X-rays. “He’ll ask you about it later.”

“I know.”

“You read minds, now?” He asked, trying to liven up the mood.

I glared at his back, “no. I just know my fiancee that well.” I said, almost sticking out my tongue to him. How juvenile was I?

“Lucky you.” He said. He stayed silent for a while, “surprise seeing you yesterday.” He murmured almost too low for me to hear.

“Unwanted surprise,” I corrected.

“If you want to place it in that category.” He said, “sure.”

“I do.”

“Do you really oppress me that much?” He said keeping emotion away from his voice.

“You have no idea.” I said wanting to through myself at him and beat him to the ground, though I knew that would be impossible to do because he was too strong.

“What if I apologize.” He turned to look at me, I evaded his stare.

“I would tell you to put that apology right --”

Connor barged into the door, “sorry about that, Bella. I’m back.” He came to my side. Almost as if to irritate Edward, he kissed me fully on the lips.

Edward’s expression didn’t faze, “excuse me, I’m done here anyway.” He escaped out the door in a quick motion. I stared after him, wishing he wouldn’t come back, but knowing he would. The way he acted was almost indifferent towards me. I didn't know why it bothered me, if I was acting the same way towards him.

Connor looked at me, “that is the same guy that was there talking to you and Jacob yesterday.” He observed.

“I’ll tell you how I know them, Connor. But you have to be patient, I still have a few things to ask them about, too.” I brought his lips to mine, “I will tell you everything you want to know, but not now. Not yet.”

End Notes: Trouble coming on the way. NOW ONTO ROUND THREE ON THE GUESS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT GAME. QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER?

WINNERS GET A PRIZE!!

How did you like this chapter???? Would you have forgiven Edward as soon as he asked for it like he did in this chapter??? Do you think Connor is being a little too weird?? Does Bella want Edward?